tj90

Hi all:

I have a question regarding the immobilizer on early 95 993s. Basically, with the alarm active, the car will not start if the Porsche car alarm is triggered. On cars that are not equipped with drive block (96+, how does porsche prevent the car from starting? Does it cut power to the ignition or fuel pump or something else? I would imagine that drive block was created as an additional layer of protection requiring the FOB to start the car. Does drive block disable the car in other, smarter ways than the pre-drive block immobilizers?
I ask cause I dont have drive block and wondering if my car immobilizer is easy to defeat.... Insurance companies that track theft have stated that cars equipped with immobilizers significant cut down the number of cars that are stolen... I know that if someone wanted my car bad enough, they would get it, but doing a search of the 993 forum seems to indicate that 993 theft is not that common. Seems like the theifs focus on common cars ie, camrys so they can part them out quickly.Im also concerned cause I live in San Diego - high theft market - and MX border is not that far away.
I have an aftermarket code alarm system. Not sure how this system interacts with the OEM porsche immobilizer (probably just sits on top of it).

Thanks!

long_beach_968

dont know if the system works differently on the inside, but the 968 had the same anti-theft as the early 993, and it worked exactly like the 96' 993 does. alarm going off, no cranking. however its a lot easier on the earlier cars, all you have to do is trick the microswitch in the door and it will have no anti-start

PDriver

Are you meaning that 96+ cars are not equipped with immobilizers? I thought the immobilizer is on every 993 with original FOB. The immobilizer is indeed the remote receiver unit for the FOB. There is no remote receiver unit without immobilizer as spare part. Maybe there is someone with other information...

PDriver

Lorenfb

Not a good idea to post how to defeat the Porsche alarm system.

AOW162435

tj90,
Unless I understand your question incorrectly, the early 993s had a normal alarm with no remote. In late 1995, the cars started coming with the Immobilizer system (Porsche key fob).

My July 5, 1994 build date car just has an alarm, no Porsche fob, and no need to go through the starting gyrations commonly bemoaned here.

Andreas

long_beach_968

Im not too worried, my car has an alarm, a drive block immobilizer, and Lo-jack

brucec59

You might consider thinking of others.

tj90

I think my 993 with a 94 build date has a porsche immobilizer without drive block. Try this: sit in the car, lock the doors (have someone lock the doors outside the car) open the door from the inside activating alarm and try starting the car. I tried it and in my case the car will crank but not start if the alarm is active..... I believe it does have an immobilizer.
I am not asking on a procedure on how to defeat - I just want to know more about drive block. Is it basuically the same immobilizer with the addition of the FOB? Or was it a smarter immobilizer that actually blocks multiple components making it difficult to defeat....

rattlsnak

the immobilzer interupts the starter circuit, in other words, car will not even turn over. The early systems without driveblock cuts off power to the dme which basically creates a start and immediate stall condition.

tj90

Rattlsnak: Thanks for the information. Sounds like the pre-drive block cars have a good immobilizer if its cutting power to the DME. That makes me feel better. Driveblock adds an additional power cut to starter and FOB procedure which makes it 100x harder to defeat. That makes se feel better knowing that Porsche was way ahead of the competition in the mid 90s with security even on the pre-drive block cars..

Of course all of this will not defend us against a flat bed type of theft or the non-professional that will destroy the glass, iginition etc to later find out that they are not getting your car.

I have heard that stupid blinking LEDs actually are a good deterent (from the insurance co's website). Im glad that porsche put those in on both doors.